Overview
- UN agencies report a sharp rise in rats, fleas and other pests in camps sheltering about 1.7 million displaced people, calling it a growing public-health threat.
- A UN survey of 1,600 displacement sites found 80% with a regular rodent and pest presence and widespread skin disease in many locations.
- Doctors at local hospitals say cases of scabies, bites and secondary infections are climbing, with children and the elderly facing the highest risks.
- Families describe direct harm inside tents, including a month-old baby and a 68-year-old woman who suffered rat bites.
- Local authorities link the surge to heat, uncollected waste and wrecked sanitation, and aid groups say Israeli controls have left pest-control supplies in short supply.